Try this soup for a nourishing weeknight meal. It takes inspiration from an Italian minestrone soup, with a tomato-based stock and a wedge of a hard cheese rind. Yes, that’s right: A chunk of a hard Italian cheese rind is a great trick to boost flavor and depth in your soup stock. It’s also an efficient no-waste use for any dwindling pieces of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino Romano cheese stashed in your fridge. These pieces are flavor bombs, imparting salty, piquant, umami goodness into your soup. When a hunk is added to the stock, the rind softens and begins to break down, infusing its essence into the broth, deepening its flavor and slightly thickening the soup while it simmers.
In this recipe, sweet and nutty butternut squash balances the tomato-acidity of the broth. Hearty farro grains are added for a vegetarian infusion of protein and texture, and nutrient-rich kale leaves dutifully wilt and soften, winding throughout the warm broth. All together, this soup provides a healthy and comforting respite on a winter day.
